Dr Who 50th Anniversary

The TV show Dr Who turns 50 today with the broadcast of a major 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor. Celebrating 50 years of the Doctor, it will star Matt Smith, David Tennant and John Hurt as different incarnations of the lead character, though some suggest the real star of the show is his space-travelling time machine, the Tardis. The 12th Doctor, Peter Capaldi, will shortly be taking over the main role in a Christmas special. The anniversary has been noted round the world, with even Google getting in the act with a playable Doodle.

The Doctor’s gadget of choice has always been the “sonic screwdriver” which has more functions that a Swiss Army Knife, rescuing him from many sticky situations. As you’ll imagine, there is plenty of Whovian merchandise, including this notebook and laptop case from the Science Museum shop.

The episode is going to be broadcast simultaneously across the world so if you are in the UK, tune it tonight at 7.50 pm on BBC1. In the US, it’s 2:50 pm ET/ 1:50 pm CT/ 12:50 pm MT/ 11:50 am PT on BBC America. Other countries can the check the listings here.

For me, Tom Baker, the 4th Doctor, will always be my Doctor, but I will be watching tonight.